| | With all this sweetness and light, this place could become pretty boring! Seriously, this kind of civility is nice to see. It's something I have crusaded for in other venues, like Atlantis II, usually to no avail, which is why I no longer post there. But even with the sharp personalities on SOLO, the people here are much more civil and benevolent than the anarchists on that forum! I sometimes wonder what this world would be like if the anarchists had their way, because they are by far the least rational of the libertarians I have encountered. My apologies to the other Michael, who, despite his anarchism, does not fit that description.
I must say, though, that some of the sarcastic exchanges I've witnessed here can be pretty creative and entertaining (if you're not personally involved!). There are some intelligent writers and good polemicists on SOLO. Of course, they don't succeed in changing their opponents' minds, which is one reason I tend to avoid the sarcasm. I'd like the person I'm debating to give my views a fair hearing, and he's not likely to if I tell him off. It's like the sales clerk who's rude to her customers. Are they likely to buy her products? Probably not. Also, I find that if I remain calm, I'm more likely to see the logic in my opponent's argument, even if, in the final analysis, I don't agree with it.
- Bill
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